AKG N400



The Galaxy Buds+ lack active noise cancellation (ANC) and waterproofing, but the newly announced AKG N400 offer both. They do cost about 30% more, but they are still much more affordable than the AirPods Pro.

The N400 is a pair of true wireless earbuds. They have 8.2mm drivers and come with a selection of tips, including Comply foam tips. The buds on their own last 6 hours (5 hours with ANC enabled), the case adds 6 more hours to the playback time. And it charges quickly too, a 10 minute charge is enough for 1 hour of playback. The case supports wireless charging.

The noise cancellation feature uses two mics per earbud and promises distortion-free sound. The level of cancellation can be controlled from the app (Ambient Aware) and tapping the left earbud turns on TalkThru so you can hear what's going on around you. Beam forming is used to pick up your voice clearly (while blocking background noise) during calls.

The right bud can skip tracks and answer calls with a tap and change the volume with a swipe. Additionally, you can use voice commands for digital assistants - Bixby, Siri and Google Assistant are supported.

The AKG N400 feature IPX7 water resistance - they can last up to 30 minutes under 1m of fresh water. You wouldn't want to go swimming with them, but no amount of rain and sweat can scare these earbuds.

The N400 only shows up only on Samsung's Korean site for now where they cost KRW 230,000 (US$ 190/€ 170, compared to the Galaxy Buds+ which go for KRW 180,000. The new AKG buds come in Black, Silver and Navy, that last one is a dual tone paint job with a splash of gold.